Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Running Through the Foret

Back in the olden days, folks in Belgium made special beer in the winter to keep through the summer in order to be consumed by hard-working farmers during harvest season. They are generally bottle-conditioned (meaning unfiltered OR filtered but added with extra yeast at the end); either way they end up being "conditioned" in the bottle. They tend to be earthy, fruity, tart, and spicy. Back in the farming times they were made with 3% alcohol in order for the farmers to be refreshed but not inebriated. Now they tend to be more like 5-8% alcohol. These are called "Saisons" or "Farmhouse" style.

I never had one, but got this Foret from the Belgian Brasserie Dupont. Check out the adorable label. There's a unicorn on it! And beautiful trees, butterflies, and doggies. Cute! It also proclaims to be Belgium's only completely organic ale. Whoo-hoo!

Well, I'm no farmer but I do work hard in an office. And enjoyed this after work one evening. It poured a delightful peach color, completely hazy, and with a small white head that left minimal lacing. The smell was mostly Belgian yeast. It tasted like a nice Belgian ale with some strong peppery spice. Some mild citrus and lemons as well. It was tasty. The spice is what made it stand out as a little unique to me from other Belgians I've had.

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About Me

I've always enjoyed a beverage or two. But beer is something I have never really understood. Oh, I have drunk it. And I have enjoyed it. But to understand it...that is something else all together. See my "intro" entry from 10/17/08 for details.